John Mousinho has revealed what unfolded after a dressing room inquest following the Sheffield United defensive collapse.

Pompey once again shot themselves in the foot, as their chronic criminal set-piece defending led to their Bramall Lane down.

Two more shocking examples of gifting the opposition goals from corners sent the Blues spinning to a 3-0 reverse.

Mousinho kept his players locked in the away dressing room for a lengthy period after the game, and tonight told The News what unfolded.

He said: ‘We need to defend the set-piece and get the detail right.

‘It’s clearly an issue. You can change the system and personnel, but if you don’t win the first contact against their main threat and get bullied you’re in a real spot of bother.

‘That was the same for the second goal, so we didn’t learn from the first goal.

‘My question to them was: “Tell me how it felt in the game?”.

‘If I’ve got it completely wrong, that is we were really struggling and under the pump, tell me.

‘If we’re really struggling to deal with Sheffield United and I’ve got that completely wrong then tell me and I’ll accept it.

‘To a man the players told me they were comfortable in the game, they were absolutely fine and didn’t think they were causing us any problems.

‘That was my reading of game, too, so my next point to was: “Great, fine, but you’re absolutely killing yourself if you are in that situation and then don’t defend properly from a corner.

‘That’s ultimately what happened.’

Mousinho felt there was a blocks from the home side in the build-up to their penalty award in the 39th minute, as Terry Devlin handled Japhet Tanganga’s header on the line.

Ultimately, however, Pompey simply have to show the hunger to want to beat the opposition to the ball if their struggles from corners are to be solved.

Mousinho added: ‘We need to defend our set-piece better, we lose the first contact.

‘It was a well-worked set-piece. I think our middle zone gets blocked, but coming in after losing 3-0 and talking about that sounds like I’m really crying. That does get given against us plenty of times, though.

‘We were denied a goal against Norwich like that season and we had opportunities against Hull, but small blocks get given against Portsmouth.

‘That was the point I was making to the fourth official and referee, but ultimately we have to get that first contact.

‘There was nothing in the game up to that point, it was a really solid away performance up to that point and there was nothing in the game to the point that happens.’